By Marisa Laudadio
6:41pm PST, Feb 23, 2026
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In the new book
William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story, author
Russell Myers examines tensions between the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that played a part in
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's estrangement from the royal family, which began in 2020 when they left Britain for California. "The whole atmosphere between them was pretty toxic," a source told Myers of the couples' dynamic. On top of that, there was friction between the brothers' wives. According to the source, "Meghan was being bullish" and "Kate found her abrasive."
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In his book
William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story, author Russell Myers writes that both Kate Middleton and
Prince William became increasingly concerned about the direction things were heading after
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married in 2018. "At first [the Princess of Wales] had thought William and Harry's squabbles were rooted in immaturity or stubbornness, on both sides, but Harry and Meghan's attitude towards palace staff, who she and William cared about, set the couples on an entirely different course," Myers writes. "Following Harry and Meghan's wedding, things were undeniably different. William and Catherine felt the Sussexes had 'an agenda.' They definitely thought the Sussexes' behavior stemmed from something more than being difficult."
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A source told author Russell Myers — who's also the royal editor for Britain's Daily Mirror — that Kate Middleton sensed early on that things wouldn't last for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and The Firm. The Princess of Wales "saw the inevitability of the parting of ways, although perhaps not to the extent of what eventually happened," the source claimed.
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As
Prince William and
Prince Harry's relationship disintegrated, author Russell Myers writes, Kate Middleton, "who had so long been a voice of reason in the brothers' previous squabbles, decided she could do no more to bring them together."
